


my cat's kind of a matchmaker

by therewasclavisbutfuckclavis



Category: Death Parade (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Neighbors AU, ooc probably? laughs definitely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3571022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therewasclavisbutfuckclavis/pseuds/therewasclavisbutfuckclavis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>where - NO - ginti is not jealous of Memine, thank you very much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my cat's kind of a matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [piyochaii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piyochaii/gifts).



> because pitopiyo is so far deep in Decinti Hell AU I may as well contribute to her suffering.

 

 

This is all Nona's fault surely, - honestly! What other option did he have with such short notice and no time? Because really, there was no way in any right hell would he stoop to this level of desperation unless it was completely necessary.

 

Impatiently, he waits, pacing the short hallway leading to his front door back and forth in a lazy pattern, checking the time on his phone nearly every minute.

 

He's running **very** low on time now, and he's almost 100% sure that any longer than five minutes and he'll just have to cancel the trip sinc-

 

His rampant thoughts hush at the sound of somewhat familiar sound of steps making their way down the hall outside his door. He doesn't actually like to acknowledge that he can differentiate the steps of his neighbor from other strangers on their apartment floor.

 

He stills his breathing to a bare whisper, concentrating as he listens adeptly to the jingling of keys being jammed into key slots and doors being shut close by.

 

One minute.

Two minutes.

Now that he actually **knows** the other is home, he can be patient.

Let his neighbor have some time to settle in before he goes to bombard him.

(It's not like he **KNEW** the guy just got off work from that bar downtown near the subway station or anything anyways. Just assumed.)

Three minutes.

Okay that was plenty of time.

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

"Memine?"

 

He was growing more irritated by the second, the others presence alone caused an uncomfortable itch to aggravate beneath his skin. There was something about the guy that just...bothered him.

 

But then again, he _**really** _ had no other option at this point.

It was too late to even cancel.

 

"Ya, you know, my cat?" Cocking his head downwards to where said animal was currently mewling around his legs, he looked back up towards an aloof expression.

 

That's probably what always threw him off about this particular neighbor. He always just seemed so...standoffish. His stoic expressions - or rather lack thereof. Oddly toned hair - (seriously was this guy just aging weirdly?). And not to mention his eyes, those eyes that just weren't exactly human.

 

How could someone's eyes feel like they're piercing right through you, reading every single piece of your life story from a glance away, and yet hold an air of complete vacancy at the same time?

 

He liked the color though.

A certain blue and green mixture. Not exactly teal but more jewel like; fragile and lucid - emerald and sapphire dusted over waves and -

He just really liked the color, okay?

 

"You want me to take care of it?" His lips curve downwards in a frown, scrunching his eyebrows at the dimmed confusion upon the others pale features.

 

"Her."

 

"Oh. Her. You want me to take care of her while you go on a trip?"

 

"Not a trip." He's growing even more annoyed now - if possible, and he's trying to contain it because he's the one asking the favor here - but wow, does this guy even listen? "A business meeting of sorts - just, look." Releasing a much needed exhale of breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose, even finding the usual calming mews from Memine irritating at this point.

 

"My pain of a midget boss got me this side job out of town for a few days and I need the money to support this little kitten here." He jabs a finger downwards at the black cat sitting between the two of them, not a care in the world. Lucky little shit. "Since I just got her recently and so, ya." Awkwardly he scratches the back of his head, suddenly feeling self conscious.

 

It wasn't intentional.

He really didn't mean to delve into more information than what little he needed to tell the guy.

There was a part of him that excused it with fact that he needed to better explain himself to convince the guy to catsit for him.

Definitely that.

Nothing to do with the fact that those eyes made him want to vomit out a plethora of his life stories.

 

God damn his loneliness.

Humans and the damn want for interaction.

 

"Why me?" He shrugged.

 

His neighbor just seemed like the most reasonable person. Nona was spouting off about some cat allergy. One with which he was sure she was bullshitting because he remembered that time she purposely locked Memine out on the balcony when she was hungover and didn't want to deal with the ' _things cat do and make sounds of that make me want to gouge my eyes out._ '

 

There was Clavis, but fuck Clavis.

 

He didn't really have many other friends, now that he thought about it.

Even Clavis could barely tiptoe past the line of that.

 

Aside from all that though, Memine seemed to have apparently taken a liking to his neighbor from what he could tell at the very least. There had been times when she had traveled across the balcony from his apartment to the others, which he should probably prevent from happening but hell, she was a rebel and he liked rebels, so he freely allowed her to be Indiana Jones.

 

Point was, she occasionally went to the guy's place and he seemed to take care of her enough while Ginti was at work so..why not? Considering Memine never bothered him for food when he returned from work must've meant she was being fed too. He's not sure what of, but it's saving him money. So for now he'll just be content with the fact that she hasn't croaked yet.

 

"You guys get along." He shrugged again, shuffling awkwardly.

 

Silence.

 

The other mimicked the action, rolling his shoulders.

 

"Okay. Sure."

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

He was in a rush, so he really didn't have much time to explain anything to his neighbor. He figured the guy didn't really need to be lectured over small details anyways; he practically babysat Memine whenever he wasn't home for the past week. That had to warrant knowing **some** basic knowledge of caring for a cat right?

 

Now that he thought about it though...now that he _actually_ had the time to relax and think about the entire situation while aboard the 9'o clock train to the next city over, he was a bit worried. Just a teensy, tiny, little - practically non existent(!), bit nervous.

 

Sure, everything was true. The guy **did** take care of his cat previously, but not consistently for the entire 24 hours of a day. How would he fare taking care of Memine for 2-3 days? Also the guy had his own job too right? What if he locked Memine out on the balcony to prevent her from wandering his house and making a mess...What if he sold Memine for extra cash and said he lost her instead?

 

Fuck.

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

"You're kidding right? You're honestly joking."

 

"Nona, what if he's finding a buyer for Memine right this very instant?"

 

"Good riddance. Why do you want something that just lazes around, demands food and cries into your ear 24/7 anyways?"

 

"If those are reasons to get rid of Memine, then what's my excuse for keeping you around?"

 

"....Do you want to get fired? I'm hanging up."

 

"It was a joke! Okay! Come on Nona, can't you just do me a favor, head over to the apartment and make sure the guy hasn't sold my cat to the black market?"

 

"Why don't you just call him?"

 

"Why would I have his number?"

 

"Because you left your cat with a stranger with the intention of him caring for it for a few days, and so situations like **this** don't happen."

 

"Oh."

 

"Ginti, really? Did you even get his name?"

 

"....."

 

"....Well, with the money you'll get after you finish your job there, you can buy yourself a new cat to replace the one he's going to sell."

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

The job was a bit of a hassle, but easy. All he had to do was impress a few people with some stuff Nona had told him to _politely_ inform them about and - why did she have to stress _**politely**_ so much? Ginti was a polite person! He had the manners of a truck coming at you at 250 miles per hour! You know, all loud, dangerous, and potentially life threatening -

well okay, maybe that wasn't the best example. He successfully sealed the deal though, that's all that mattered.

 

Which meant now, on his way home taxiing from the train station back to his apartment, Ginti could find out once and for all if his neighbor had sold Memine off to the black market.

 

He definitely did though, the damn bastard. Your neighbor practically hands you a bag of cash, disguised as a black cat. Of course you're gonna exchange it for some money! The guy would probably use that money to buy himself a personality and dye his hair some color that wasn't so goddamn unnatural too.

 

Dammit all. The hair, he should've known. No one with hair that shade of grey, white - whatever it was, should be trusted. And if you can't trust someone's abnormal hair color, you sure as hell can't trust them with your cat.

 

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

He probably looked like a mad man, having run nearly two blocks to reach his apartment since the taxi got stuck in traffic and he was too anxious to wait any longer. Then there was the continuous flight of stairs he had to take; three sets because the elevator was in use and like hell was he going to wait any longer. He also may have shoved an elderly person along the way, but hey! Old people shouldn't be taking the stairs anyways. Judging from the loud yelling that followed afterwards, the oldie was probably fine anyways.

 

So then, okay, maybe when he arrived at his neighbor's door, he was a bit sweaty and exhausted and maybe out of breath. Perhaps the look of confusion from the other man was warranted.

 

"Are you -"

 

"M-my cat." He paused, bending slightly to rest his hands against his knees as he took in as much air into his lungs as possible, trying to grasp the amounts he had left behind during his mission up here.

 

"Memine?" He nodded, still unable to speak as his eyes stared, trained to the ground - to the guy's shoes rather, a dark maroon staining the whites.

 

A horrible thought struck him. Maybe the guy didn't sell his cat.

 

"DID YOU KILL MY CAT? DID YOU KILL MEMINE?" Straightening up his back, he points an accusing finger at the others face.

 

He doesn't care that he's wheezing, probably even sounding like a 75 year old who's been smoking a pack of cigarettes every day of his life. All he feels is pure unadulterated anger at this little shit who has the audacity to stare at him in confusion, as if he **HADN'T** just killed his **GODDAMN CAT**.

 

"Why would I kill your cat?"

 

"Because!" He yells as if it's the most obvious thing in the world - BECAUSE IT IS. The other guy's looking at him like he's a bit on the loose side, but fuck that, he's the one killing people's cats! "Your shoes have blood on them!"

 

"That's paint. I paint things."

 

Ginti stares for a second.

 

The last time he stared into those eyes, they were a mesh of green and blue, shimmering like fragile glass and he thinks they were a bit more blue than green last time, but -

no wait. His cat.

 

"Okay maybe you didn't kill my cat." Ginti takes a breath, calming himself for a second before continuing his tirade. "But you sold her to the black market!"

 

His neighbor has the guts to grin at him. The little shit. As if he didn't just sell his cat to get dye for that goddamn soft looking hair - that he kind of wants to touch now. And wow, okay. He must be really fucking mad at him because he's pretty sure his heart beat just spiked and is going at 300 beats per minute.

 

"I didn't." The guy's tone inclines Ginti to believe the bastard is finding it amusing; the entire situation. It's kind of not that noticeable, given his naturally flat tone, but he likes to believe he's pretty good at figuring this guy out, considering the full maybe 10 minutes they've spoken with one another altogether. The shit eating grin on his face is also pretty telling.

 

"Well then where's Memine?" Ginti throws his own smug little smirk his way, as if to tell him; ' _yeah? prove to me that my cat isn't actually missing. i dare you.'_ And the other guy seems to oblige because he's moving out of the doorway and with a wave of a hand, allowing Ginti to enter his abode.

 

He stands a bit dumbfounded outside for a second, really surprised that the guy hasn't just admitted to his betrayal already, before eventually stepping inside the others home. His heart's picking up it's pace again and okay, he's not that dumb, he knows it's not anger that's causing it whenever he looks into the others eyes. No, definitely not. It's nerves. Seriously, this guy killed his cat. Who knows what else he'd try.

 

His eyes are moving everywhere around the small apartment now, taking in every little detail, like ooh, that painting sitting unfinished near the balcony door. Or, oh wow, look at that impressive collection of books aligning that wall over there. And of course the white haired freak would have an entire row of wooden dolls just hanging out on one of the bookshelves. Of course.

 

Cat murderers were always weird doll collectors.

 

The guy's disappeared now though, and Ginti's just a tiny bit nervous until a quiet meow is heard, followed by the pitter patter of tiny paws against hardwood flooring.

 

He's never felt so relieved to see his little buddy.

 

"Hey you." He kneels down, feels a bit warm inside when the black cat paws at his knees before jumping up at him, to which he picks her up and allows her to nuzzle against his cheek.

 

He'd never admit it, but the relief just exudes out of him, and he realizes now that, okay, maybe he was overreacting just a bit. It would be pretty a interesting situation if his cat had been sold to the black market though.

 

Just as Ginti stands up, Memine in arms, with every intention to get out before he embarrasses himself any further, the guy comes out of a room somewhere to his left, bag of sorts in hand.

 

He feels a bit awkward.

 

"Listen, I don't say sorry but," He shrugs, eyes staring down at Memine curled up in his arms rather than towards the other. "You just gave off a cat stealing vibe."

 

"Is that supposed to be an apology?"

 

Okay he may have did it wrong, but he was trying damn it!

 

Gritting his teeth in seething frustration, Ginti looked away from his cat, staring daggers at the others calm and stoic expression. There's a glimmer in the others eye that tells him he's being screwed around with.

 

"That's the best I'm giving you."

 

"I'll take it then."

 

He watches carefully, eyes following the others movements as he inched closer before reaching an arm out to hand the bag of what appeared to be cat treats towards him.

 

"Well I bought these for her, you may as well keep them."

 

Admittedly, he was a bit impressed by the guy's thoughtfulness and willingness to spend money on a stranger's cat.

 

Stranger...

 

"What's your name anyways?" He blurted out in interruption, feeling a bit of joy from the others surprised expression. Finally he got _**something** _ out of him that wasn't so impassive.

 

There's a moment of pause, the others eyes roaming him, as if actually seeing him for the first time.

Something about it makes Ginti feel a bit awkward but giddy at the same time.

 

"Decim. And yours?"

 

_Decim._

 

He runs it through his mind once more, repeating it carefully.

Weird name to match his weird hair.

 

"Ginti." He replies after a beat.

 

There's a bit of a silence that passes over them, not entirely uncomfortable, but Ginti's starting to feel the effects of fatigue hitting him after the long train ride back, and hours upon hours of his muscles working out just to form fake smiles.

 

"Well it's kind of late and I'm tired from the train and meeting so -"

 

He's startled when Decim drops the bag with a rather loud thud and grabs the corner of his elbow, just as he was about to turn and leave.

 

"Wait, I.." Ginti's staring at the pale hand grasping onto his elbow, and honestly he's a bit confused as to why he isn't feeling angry or annoyed over it because when has he ever allowed anyone to touch him / catch him off guard - (who wasn't Nona)? The last person who grabbed him was Clavis, and he punched him square in the face without a second thought.

 

It's probably because his hands were full. Yeah. Nothing to do with the fact that he kind of liked the others touch. Yeah, definitely not. Pfts, it's not like he missed it when Decim let go.-

Shit.

Where did that come from.

 

"Since I took care of her and kept her in good condition, do you think I could take care of her again some time?" Decim looked a bit nervous and -

Fuck. It was kind of cute.

 

His mouth felt kind of dry, probably from his earlier trek up here, which explains why he could only reply with a; "Why?" Yup.

 

"Honestly, the company was a bit nice so, -"

 

"No." Ginti's mouth moves faster than his brain and dammit, he didn't mean to make Decim look that sad at his answer. "I mean." He shifts his weight, one leg to the other. "I'll keep you company."

 

Damn it Memine. Why'd she have to go and make him jealous? Seriously? He was getting jealous over a cat keeping this guy more company than him.

 

"You?" The guy says it so skeptically, Ginti finds himself feeling a bit defensive.

 

"Yeah me." He puffs out his chest, trying to look threatening with a black cat curled up in his arms. "All a cat does is snuggle up next to you and demands attention. I could do those things."

 

There's another flash of surprise - _hell yeah! caught him off guard again_. - before it's replaced with an amused grin and - wait.

 

He turns his words over in his head again. Oh damn it.

 

He can feel his cheeks warming up, heart stuttering up into his throat at this point. "I could just come over and hang, you know?" He corrects, coughing awkwardly. "I'll even take you out to dinner." There's a short pause before he adds;  "Cats can't do that."

 

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

 

If his cheeks weren't red enough, he's sure they are now. The fact that the other can even ask him that with the same aloof face makes it even worse.

 

"I just offered you company, okay?" He bites out defensively, feeling more embarrassed than ever.

 

"You sound like an escort now." This guy was really screwing with him.

 

"Fine. Yes!" He all but groans out, flustered and too tired to even bother. "Do you wanna grab dinner some time or what?"

 

"With the cat?"

 

The other just stares at him for a while.

Just stares.

 

The cat. His goddamn cat is the deal breaker here. Really?

Whatever. She was the reason all of this happened anyways, so he relents with a sigh.

 

"Fine, I'll come over occasionally **with** Memine too."

 

"Okay." With the way Decim was acting, Ginti was sure the answer would be yes anyways, but a tiny part of him still gets excited at the agreement.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Okay." He repeats to himself, nodding as he looks down at the cat now peacefully sleeping and purring away in his arms. "Well I should go now."

 

"Right."

 

He turns to leave, hearing the steady follow of footsteps behind him, probably to shut the door behind him, considering his hands are full, before a thought hits him and he turns around abruptly. Decim almost collides with him, a breath's inch away from doing so. He's not sure if he regrets that it didn't happen.

 

"Actually, can I get your phone number?" The other is giving him a weird look, and he understands it because why would they need to exchange numbers? They live next to each other. But maybe he'll want to text him when he's bored at work or something. You know, keep Decim company since he said he wants some. It's all for Decim's benefit, really.

 

The silence still hangs though, so he decides to break it, albeit awkwardly.

 

"Because of Memine. In case you decide to steal her and sell her on the black market. I want to make sure I'll be able to hunt you down if you try." He grins, feral like at the other, notices a shine of amusement twinkling beneath sapphire and emerald.

 

"Sure. For the cat though."

 

He rolls his eyes, at the teasing tone, waits as the other writes down numbers on a piece of paper.

 

"Yeah, yeah. For the damn cat."

 

Maybe. Just maybe, he was kind of....

\- okay, yes. He was jealous of the cat.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
